Missing Players

Team News

Tottenham will be without Gareth Bale after the Welshman picked up his 5th yellow card of the season when he was booked for diving once again against Sunderland. Clint Dempsey is back though, and will probably start on the left.

Spurs have changed their centre backs fairly regularly this season, so Gallas and Vertonghen could be recalled after being rested at the weekend. The fans would be delighted if Benoit Assou-Ekotto made his long awaited return to first team action here, and after training for a few weeks now, he could make an appearance from the bench.

AVB has stuck with the same front 6 for each game over the Xmas period and may opt to rest Mousa Dembele here, with Scott Parker hoping for a first start of the season.

Reading could start with the same team that beat West Ham last time out, with Pavel Pogrebnyak charged with leading the line on his own once again.

With Alex McCarthy and Jason Roberts the only injured absentees, Brian McDermott has the luxury of a more or less full squad to choose from.

Sean Morrison is available again after injury but probably won't start.

Prediction

Spurs go in search of a third consecutive win in a row to round off what could be an extremely successful Christmas period for the north London club. In their only home game of this run, though, they were held to a goalless draw by Stoke, and will need to be much improved here.

Reading's victory over West Ham on Saturday was their first in 9 Premier League outings, and although it was hardly a convincing one, the Royals will just be delighted to have added to their points tally.

Spurs have been inconsistent this season, so the fact that they have won 6 of their last 8 league games may not count for all that much usually, but as they are playing Reading, who they overcame fairly easily by 3 goals to 1 at the Madjeski earlier this season, they should win this one as well.

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